Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Autism Research Institute (ARI), a non-profit organization established in 1967. He has been active in the field of autism for over 40 years. He was named director of ARI in 2006 after the passing of autism pioneer and advocate, Dr. Bernard Rimland. Dr. Edelson worked closely with Dr. Rimland for over 20 years.
Dr. Edelson has conducted research in a variety of areas including biomedical, behavioral, sensory, and cognition; and he has published peer-reviewed research articles with many notables in the autism field including Drs. Bernard Rimland, Ivar Lovaas, Temple Grandin, and Margaret Bauman.